1,500 strangers attended the funeral of a WWII veteran after a request in Massachusetts
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Mourners began arriving early — veterans in uniform, strangers holding American flags, police officers lining the route — all for Massachusetts’ World War II Navy veteran who many feared would be buried alone.
But when John Bernard Arnold III, 98, died on May 6 with no known living family, a public appeal from Hanover-Hanson Veteran Services had an incredible response, with about 1,500 people coming out Monday in Hanson, Massachusetts, to say goodbye to the hero.
“This veteran passed away with no known family to attend his services,” Hanover-Hanson Veteran Services wrote on Facebook. “Let’s fire him the way a veteran should.”
They did it.
‘UNNAMED’ NAVY VETERA GIVEN FULL FACIAL RESPECT AS COMMUNITY REFUSES TO LET HIM BE ALONE
Mourners carry the flag-draped casket of WWII Navy veteran John Bernard Arnold III during funeral services in Hanson, Mass., while an undated family photo shows Arnold celebrating a birthday. About 1,500 people attended the funeral after the public announcement that there will be mourning for this veteran who died without being known to be alive. (WBZ-TV / Leighton-MacKinnon Funeral Home)
Arnold’s flag-draped casket was brought into Saint Joseph the Worker Church as strangers lined the church grounds outside, many of whom had never heard his name before the call.
“No one should go alone, I don’t care who they are,” funeral attendee Jim Pearce told WCVB.
After the funeral Mass, a police motorcade escorted Arnold to Cedar Knoll Cemetery in Taunton, where bugles played, veterans saluted, and American flags were handed to mourners in the procession.
“We will not allow our veterans to pass without being honored and sent off with respect and dignity, the way a veteran should be at their resting place,” veteran Joe Campbell told WHDH.
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After the funeral Mass, a long procession of police escorted the body of WWII Army veteran John Bernard Arnold III to the cemetery, where bugles played. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, File)
Arnold, who recently lived in East Bridgewater, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, according to his report. He graduated from Rogers High School in Newport, Rhode Island, and attended Rhode Island State University before going into the military.
He never married and had no children. His obituary listed him as the beloved son of the late John B. Arnold and Hannah McCarthy Arnold, and brother of the late Mary MD Joines and Kathleen Principato.
The caretakers did not remember him as a forgotten man, but as someone who could not be forgotten.
“He walked into the room, he lit up the room,” caretaker Hailey Munroe told reporters. “No matter what you were going through, he could always bring a smile, make you laugh.”
Munroe said Arnold loved classical music, chocolate cake and making people laugh.
VIRAL 102-YEAR-OLD WWII HAS MESSAGE FOR AMERICA: ‘WHERE WE’RE ALL LUCKY’
An undated photo provided by Leighton-MacKinnon Funeral Home shows WWII Navy veteran John Bernard Arnold III celebrating a birthday. Arnold, who died at the age of 98 with no known surviving family, was honored by about 1,500 people at his funeral in Massachusetts. (Leighton-MacKinnon Funeral Home)
WCVB reported that Arnold told caregivers that he served on the USS Houston and visited 27 countries during his Navy career, often mentioning Italy — including Naples, Florence, Venice, Sardinia and Capri.
“I’m going to show up, I’m going to be his family,” one military retiree told Boston 25 News after learning about the funeral on TikTok.
David Patterson, a Coast Guard officer, told WHDH that the vote reflects a shared responsibility among those who serve.
“It just strengthens that partnership that … we’re all on the same team,” Patterson said.
Donna Brown, Gold Star’s wife, said that coming out made her proud.
“It makes me feel proud, very proud of our country, proud of our community, and all the people who are here today who don’t even know this man, who are willing to take time out of their busy lives to support our veteran,” Brown told WHDH.
WWII COACHES WALK AROUND THE LAND OF NATIONAL MEMORIAL
Terrance O’Keefe of Hanover-Hanson Veteran Services told WPRI that the response was more than anything organizers could have imagined.
“The level of humanity out there, where people can walk out without knowing who he was … it’s really amazing,” O’Keefe said. “It shines what we do as a community.”
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Arnold was laid to rest Monday at Cedar Knoll Cemetery, surrounded not by empty pews or silence, but by a community determined to make sure his last respects were not given alone.
On Monday, strangers became his family.
“We’re all going home alone,” one mourner told Boston 25 News.
